What did a king do during the middle ages? How was his day spent?

Question

How was a prince/princess's life spent also? Did children prince and princesses have a lot of time to play? Were they allowed to go into the villages unsupervised? Or mingle with commoners at all?

Can someone give me a good idea of daily life for the royal family?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Info on "Life During the Middle Ages" visit

http://www.medieval-life.net/life_main.h...

http://historymedren.about.com/od/dailyl...

http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/life-in-mi...

Answer 2

Give cheeky peasants like you a well deserved hiding.

Answer 3

Kings held courts where they heard grievances between lords and sometimes heard appeals by lesser folk. At least, they did this when they could spare the time from wars, palace intrigues, and their royal amusements.

When a king takes a walk or goes on a trip, it's called "a progress." If a king loses his temper in a fit of spite, he is said to be "wroth." Language is bent toward granting kings more dignity than most of them deserve, and it's not a surprise that the language itself is said to be the King's own property.

Answer 4

1. The Middle Ages cover about 1000 years, and the whole of Europe. That's a heck of a lot of variables! That said, supposing your question to be about England in the  high Middle Ages (14th-15th century):

2. A mediaeval king had total responsibility for running his kingdom. Parliament didn't happen unless he convened it and sat in it. The high courts of justice didn't sit unless he told them to, and usually he had to be there himself to give judgement. Wherever he was, was the seat of government. If there was a war, he either had to go and lead the army himself or choose somebody else to do it. He had to raise the taxes to pay for his court, his government, and his wars. So he was a busy man.

3. A king's children were normally not brought up by their parents but were given "households" of their own. A prince had to learn the skills of warfare, diplomacy, courtesy, and from at least 1250 or so he had to learn to read and write (in Latin); so his curriculum was pretty full. He would be allocated a nobleman or senior ecclesiastic as "governor", who would run his household (which might be hundred of miles away from his parents' court - e.g. the eldest son of Edward IV of England was brought up at Ludlow on the Welsh border, 150 miles from London) and supervise his studies.  Princesses also had a good deal to learn, and might also be given separate households.

4 The Middle Ages had no concept of personal privacy. The thing, and the idea, just didn't exist. If you were important, servants and a whole crew of other underlings were with you 24/7, even when you were sitting on the toilet or making love.  No mediaeval royal person was ever alone. So no, princes and princesses would never have been without at least one or two servants/minders.

4. There was no big deal about royal children mingling with commoners. Paradoxically, just because the gulf of rank between noble and commoner was so absolute, immutable and taken for granted by everyone, it was actually easy for them to be familiar, because there was no chance of anyone forgetting their place. Royal children were routinely placed in the care of nurses and governors, and probably were far more intimate with these people and their families than they were with their own parents and siblings, who they might barely know.

Answer 5

During the middle ages, kings were either building an army to conquer new land or help the people to thrive and live in the largest civilization. Really depends which king ur looking for. Good ones are like King Arthur, who was a knight and when he got older he looked after his people. Bad ones were like King Henry the eight. Married many women just to seek a son. If he didn't get his way he kills people. When royal families have kids typically they want a son to rule next. They have limits how far they can go around. They also can't mingle with just anyone. Usually parents arrange marriages for them. Also, during those times only the rich have the rights to do most things. If it was ruled by greedy king they usually charge high taxes. if it was a good king he tries to make it equal and set an example for his son to follow.

Answer 6

the kings job was to have lots and lots of babys

the queens job was to stay hid on the other side of the castle

the childrens job was to kill their eldest sibbling so they would be next in line for the throne